From the Silicon Valley to Bondi

Software engineer Chris Adams (2002) spent several years in Silicon Valley, California working with start-ups such as Airbnb and Uber before returning home to continue his career in Australia. Based in Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Adams works for a US based tech company and maintains an enviable work life balance that includes lifesaving and training for triathlons. He recently spoke to Roll Call

What were your passions and or extra-curricular interests at De La Salle?

“Let’s just say I was not the sporty kid! I liked computers and gaming, chess, and table tennis. In Year 12 a few friends and I started running PC gaming events at Monash University and grew them to the largest in Australia. Today, e-sports and gaming are massive industries. Melbourne is a global hub, hosting tournaments and conferences like PAX Australia. Many people we knew helped put Melbourne on the map.”

What studies have you completed?

“I completed a Bachelor in Computer Science at Monash University and recently completed a Global Executive MBA, also at Monash Uni.”

Can you give us a brief overview of your career so far?

“I’ve always been a software engineer. After eight years in Melbourne, I followed my dream and moved to Silicon Valley. I was living in San Francisco. I had to pinch myself! My time was amazing and included stints at Uber and Airbnb. I was there as both companies went public. Currently, I’m with an American tech company but physically in Bondi Beach, Sydney. My company helps people and companies who have mobile apps to make more money.”

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

“Those who’ve made it in ‘tech.’ Those who speak fearlessly about where things are going. Famous philosophers who write on how to live well. Thinkers as diverse as Steve Jobs, Karl Marx, Nietzsche, and Marcus Aurelius.”

What have been your career highlights so far?

“Moving to Silicon Valley and joining Uber and Airbnb. The people I met on those adventures. During 2020 lockdowns, I did a start-up hosting online events, culminating in us hosting online Burning Man. (Burning Man is an annual event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance, held in the United States). The technology I built touched thousands of lives, cheering up people stuck at home all over the world.

What are some of the challenges of your work?

“Keeping up! By way of example, AI (artificial intelligence) can now create drawings. You can tell an AI to draw “cats having tea on the moon in the style of Salvador Dali” and it’ll do it! How sub-zero cool is that! A career in technology will never lack for excitement at what humans can achieve.”

What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?

“You’ll find me patrolling Bondi Beach on weekends. During the week I’m swimming in the ocean or training for a triathlon. My next challenge is an Ironman endurance race, more than 12 hours of swimming and cycling, finishing with a marathon. I believe in tackling tough challenges. Doing a hard thing can be its own reward.”

What legacies have your days as a De La Salle students left you with?

“De La Salle equipped me with a moral compass. Lately the media has exposed a lot of unsavoury privileged behaviour. It shocks me as I never thought to engage with the world that way. That’s thanks to how we were expected to act at De La Salle: with maturity, responsibility, and magnanimity. I’m proud to be an

Old Collegian. I take those lessons with me wherever I am in my career and the world. Those days also taught me the value of holding on to friendships for life.”

“Being led by a religious perspective but invited to thoughtfully take on what speaks to you. I particularly remember The Brothers’ speeches to us. I remember one called “the dash”. Your tombstone will have your birthdate and your last day, joined by a dash. That dash is your entire life. It’s brief, but you have all the opportunities granted to you, so make it special.”

“Being called “young men” by the Brothers in Year 7 was the moment I decided to show up in the world as a man and not a boy. It was trust and responsibility, given generously and freely, and we didn’t pass it up.”